THE abandoned premature baby found in Barangay Maya, Daanbantayan last May 25 passed away last Wednesday inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).
Heidie Aplece, Daanbantayan Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer (MSWDO), said the baby died due to premature distress syndrome and pneumonia complications.
“The baby had an undeveloped lungs and he was not able to survive,” Aplece told Cebu Daily News.
The baby boy was brought back to Daanbantayan on Thursday in Barangay Lanao to the house of the volunteers who looked after him at VSMMC and will be buried today.
Yesterday, volunteers named the baby as “Vincent Ferer” in honor of St. Vincent, whose fiesta is celebrated every May 25 and 26.
The baby, wrapped in a plastic bag, was discovered at the back of the house owned by Tephanie Niña Dublin at 6 a.m. on May 25.
There were still traces of blood in his body and the umbilical cord was still attached to the navel.
The municipal, provincial and regional offices of the DSWD are pooling their funds to pay for the medical expenses incurred as well as the burial.
The baby had a daily single dose vial (survanta beractant) to support the his lungs, which cost P23,000.
There is still no information as to who the mother of the baby is.
Aplece said the parents of the baby can be held liable for the death of the child.